Today we went to Dyer Pond. 
My granddaughter Juliette brought two pails so that she could catch tadpoles. I wanted to go to the ocean, but we got a late start and the tide was no longer low, so pond it was. We walked through the woods under attack by millions of mosquitoes. Fortunately, I had put on Organic Bite Blocker Xtreme and not one bite did I receive. My son and his wife dislike the smell, but it does not bother me at all, fortunately. The mosquitoes were not deterred by the Badger Anti-Bite Balm they applied. It was hot at Dyer Pond, and quite still.
Several families were already there with young children. What's more, these bathers came in automobiles, which is a no-no during the summer. Everyone has to walk in, which limits the number of people able to access the small beach there. (I made a mental note to remind the National Seashore that the No Parking sign is no longer in evidence.) Juliette was very excited to go to Dyer Pond because she remembered the tadpoles from an earlier visit two years ago. First she caught some small ones. She watched them swim before scooping up water. In the photo above, she caught two regular-sized tadpoles.
Later, I asked why tadpoles interested her so much.
"They're cute," Juliette explained. "They are fast and round. They swim with tiny feet and tails. I enjoyed holding them in my hand because they were so funny. I squeezed them."
"What did that feel like?" asked her mom.
"Slippery in my hand, and squishy."
I left early to prepare dinner. When the others returned, they showed me a photo of what Juliette had caught after my departure. I could not believe my eyes. How big the captive tadpole was! Check it out. This is one monster tadpole. Imagine the frog it will turn into ...
Once Juliette had finished playing with the tadpoles, she "threw them back to give them their freedom." It was a good day for both kids, and tadpoles!
Do you remember catching tadpoles during your childhood?
